STRONG Pilates Victoria Park

The Verdict

If you’re a pilates addict or a cardio junkie, you’ll know that while both kinds of workouts are body sculpting in their own way, both are missing something. Pilates gets you that beast-level core and perky glutes, but it doesn’t really get the heart racing, while a good HIIT or cardio session will burn calories and have you out of breath—but won’t help you achieve long lean muscles and serious core stability. 

Until now, to get the benefits of both, you’ve had to mix up your gym sessions to get in both a weekly pilates class and a HIIT session. But now there’s a new gym on the scene, one that ties cardio and reformer pilates together in a way that will kick all your goals and have you achieving the body you want with just one membership. It’s called STRONG Pilates and it’s just opened its first outpost in New Zealand after making waves across Australia thanks to its innovative Rowformer machines that are part reformer bed and part rowing machine. 

Typically, a class will see you doing up to a four-minute block of rowing, in sets of 30 seconds off and 30 seconds off, then you’ll jump up and do, for example, a heavy leg set. Then it’s back to the rower for another round of rowing, before moving on to another resistance exercise, and repeat. Because you’re keeping your heart rate up the whole time, you can burn some serious calories, while also achieving all the benefits of pilates. 

Bonus, the gyms themselves are seriously boujee—think a specially designed scent diffused throughout, lockers with phone chargers in them and RnB music played loud. There are also mats in the reception areas so you can do a stretch (with a sequence shown on screens) for 10 minutes before the class. 

If it sounds like the workout for you, you might want to sign up fast—people are lining up to get their sweat on. Find out more about the ethos behind the movement and the founder's goals right here.

Image credit: STRONG Pilates.